MARSHALL, Texas - A Leesburg man who prosecutors said used fake online identities to coerce minors into producing sexually explicit images has been sentenced to 29 years in federal prison.
Wesley Jacob Hearon, 36, was sentenced Sept. 28 to 348 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
Hearon previously pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
According to information presented in court, Hearon used multiple online personas on social media and chat platforms to target minors. Prosecutors said he coerced victims into engaging in sexually explicit conduct, creating visual depictions of that conduct and transmitting the material over the internet.
Authorities did not disclose the number or ages of the victims or identify the social media and chat platforms involved.
The FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety's Criminal Investigations Division and Palo Alto Police Department in California investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Austin Wells and Lucas Machicek prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative focused on investigating and prosecuting child sexual exploitation offenses and identifying victims.
